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The Madhouse
A house brings two unique people together by the unlikeliest of chances. In their union, that of an almost priest and a prodigal daughter, two brothers whose bond transcend the laws of nature are born.
Andre and Max have a seemingly blissful life until the boys start sharing dreams and their lives begin to unravel Murderous thoughts, maniac dreams, and their somewhat unbreakable wandering between reality and reverie, would lead them down unknown paths that threaten to severe their family ties.
in this exhilarating and dreamy narration set against the backdrop of a tumultuous era of military rule in Nigeria, Tj Benson weaves a spellbinding tale about the clashes between cultures, the impact of fragile political situations on everyday people. and the lengths we are willing to go in order to save our loved ones.
Andre and Max have a seemingly blissful life until the boys start sharing dreams and their lives begin to unravel Murderous thoughts, maniac dreams, and their somewhat unbreakable wandering between reality and reverie, would lead them down unknown paths that threaten to severe their family ties.
in this exhilarating and dreamy narration set against the backdrop of a tumultuous era of military rule in Nigeria, Tj Benson weaves a spellbinding tale about the clashes between cultures, the impact of fragile political situations on everyday people. and the lengths we are willing to go in order to save our loved ones.
352 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2021
17 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 15, 2021
I found this book strange, disjointed but delightful. The setting of Nigeria, largely in the 90s resonated with me but makes me wonder how readers not familiar with that time and place would be able to make sense of the many cultural references, slang terms, and inside jokes this story is peppered with. The prose is amazingly good, lyrical, and wonderfully descriptive and will make readers sigh, and read lines, again and again, just to enjoy the author's many awesome turns of phrase. I found the characters memorable, believable but exaggerated (intentionally I feel). I am already looking forward to reading this again.
April 7, 2021
#Themadhouse - TJ Benson
#PenguinRandomhouseSA
‘A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument by means of which objects are seen as symmetrical patterns due to repeated reflection.’ (Wikipedia)
The house at the end of Freetown Street in Sabon Gari, Nigeria, was built and utilized as a sanatorium for deranged colonists, but, in 1994, it is a private home. It has been so long since anyone has had electricity that young children cannot recall seeing appliances as anything but part of the interior decorating. The house is home to Sweet Mother, an artist often debilitated by manic episodes that her family refer to as ‘The Thing’; her husband Shariff, an alcoholic author and soldier (‘She sent him to look for a job and he found the nearest war’) and their children.
Max (Macmillan) could not remember a time that he did not feel responsible for his younger brother, André. André, the music prodigy, haunted by his deceased twin brother; believing he can only escape the former by self-mutilation and death; resulting in prolonged stays in asylums and several suicide attempts. And Ladidi, the foster sister, promising to marry the boy who can bring her a strawberry, a fruit she has never tasted.
The novel describes a colourful view of Nigeria and the inhabitants of the so-called madhouse. Sweet Mother and Shariff fight their own personal demons of mental challenges; civil war and unrest, whilst Max realizes that he can neither save his family, not escape them; André especially, being so connected to him that he has obtained a tattoo on his midriff: ‘Property of Macmillan Shariff’.
This was not an easy read; the backdrop is foreign (I have known very little of the so-called Miss World riots in 2002, for example) and the language used often includes unfamiliar words (‘oya’) and unusual word order. Some parts, however, were beautiful in its simplicity: ‘Almost anyone could tell a good story, but not every voice you recognize in the abyss of sleep; not every voice can anchor you.....’ (p.17)
The novel calls for meditative reading; sometimes requiring re-reading of paragraphs, not something to be rushed. I agree with the words of Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu on the front cover: ‘A mesmerising kaleidoscopic story that will grab hold of you and never let you go.’
4 stars from #uitdieperdsebek
#PenguinRandomhouseSA
‘A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument by means of which objects are seen as symmetrical patterns due to repeated reflection.’ (Wikipedia)
The house at the end of Freetown Street in Sabon Gari, Nigeria, was built and utilized as a sanatorium for deranged colonists, but, in 1994, it is a private home. It has been so long since anyone has had electricity that young children cannot recall seeing appliances as anything but part of the interior decorating. The house is home to Sweet Mother, an artist often debilitated by manic episodes that her family refer to as ‘The Thing’; her husband Shariff, an alcoholic author and soldier (‘She sent him to look for a job and he found the nearest war’) and their children.
Max (Macmillan) could not remember a time that he did not feel responsible for his younger brother, André. André, the music prodigy, haunted by his deceased twin brother; believing he can only escape the former by self-mutilation and death; resulting in prolonged stays in asylums and several suicide attempts. And Ladidi, the foster sister, promising to marry the boy who can bring her a strawberry, a fruit she has never tasted.
The novel describes a colourful view of Nigeria and the inhabitants of the so-called madhouse. Sweet Mother and Shariff fight their own personal demons of mental challenges; civil war and unrest, whilst Max realizes that he can neither save his family, not escape them; André especially, being so connected to him that he has obtained a tattoo on his midriff: ‘Property of Macmillan Shariff’.
This was not an easy read; the backdrop is foreign (I have known very little of the so-called Miss World riots in 2002, for example) and the language used often includes unfamiliar words (‘oya’) and unusual word order. Some parts, however, were beautiful in its simplicity: ‘Almost anyone could tell a good story, but not every voice you recognize in the abyss of sleep; not every voice can anchor you.....’ (p.17)
The novel calls for meditative reading; sometimes requiring re-reading of paragraphs, not something to be rushed. I agree with the words of Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu on the front cover: ‘A mesmerising kaleidoscopic story that will grab hold of you and never let you go.’
4 stars from #uitdieperdsebek
June 24, 2022
The Madhouse is the story of a very peculiar family with a peculiar history living in a very peculiar house in old Nigeria. It tells about family, passion, love, war time, spirituality and the mysteries of life.
To begin, I particularly love that this book took me everywhere. It felt like a tour: Japan, Indonesia, Sabon Geri, Amsterdam, and more. I love how it came alive. When Andre raced against his pursuers on a thin wall, I was there, racing right behind, rooting for him. Andre came alive, not at once, but in pleasant bits. And one day, I picked up this book and realized how desperately I wanted Andre to survive. And then it wasn’t even about Andre anymore. I realized my heart was breaking and rooting for this incredibly strange, chaotic family.
From the flying knives, to the night piercer, to the children who thought they could be priest enough to bless their parents’ marriage, to the stranger woman who murdered her husband with a scissors, to the characters’ bold escapades and the blind trips — the myths, the conspiracies and the many mysteries — the madhouse is enthralling, a wild labyrinth.
All roads led to this mysterious madhouse. One way or another. Was it fate? How Sweet Pea got there and how Sharrif got there? I think it wasn’t the house, no. It was them. It seemed the house shielded them from the world but I think they shielded themselves through the house. I found that this old abandoned house was in fact, some sort of sanity and anchor.
The Madhouse makes me imagine TJ Benson as an ancient weaver — sitting on a hill in vast meadow, overlooking his characters, weaving a story, this beautiful tragedy. Weaving and weaving against a defiant wind. Weaving and weaving the chaos so beautifully and mysteriously, with so much intention. It’s falling apart but he doesn’t stop because there’s something he wants us to see. Mysterious things that I couldn’t explain but because it’s the madhouse, I believed. He blurred the natural and the supernatural, showed how the human mind can transcend and through Shariff’s existence, two very different worlds became one. Most importantly, I found it interesting how deep love and passion existed and unraveled amid all this madness.
The Madhouse is timeless. TJ Benson weaves time into itself then stretches it out and twists in into new strands so that many things make sense at different points — past, present and future — interwoven. And that’s life. A complex fabric. Any portion you cut holds the mysteries of the past, present, future and beyond.
TJ benson will teach you to hold on, because if you don’t, you may just get lost and the last thing you want to do, is to get lost in the madhouse. You never know what could happen. It may be confusing to navigate this story, but if you can overcome this barrier, you may find it interesting.
To begin, I particularly love that this book took me everywhere. It felt like a tour: Japan, Indonesia, Sabon Geri, Amsterdam, and more. I love how it came alive. When Andre raced against his pursuers on a thin wall, I was there, racing right behind, rooting for him. Andre came alive, not at once, but in pleasant bits. And one day, I picked up this book and realized how desperately I wanted Andre to survive. And then it wasn’t even about Andre anymore. I realized my heart was breaking and rooting for this incredibly strange, chaotic family.
From the flying knives, to the night piercer, to the children who thought they could be priest enough to bless their parents’ marriage, to the stranger woman who murdered her husband with a scissors, to the characters’ bold escapades and the blind trips — the myths, the conspiracies and the many mysteries — the madhouse is enthralling, a wild labyrinth.
All roads led to this mysterious madhouse. One way or another. Was it fate? How Sweet Pea got there and how Sharrif got there? I think it wasn’t the house, no. It was them. It seemed the house shielded them from the world but I think they shielded themselves through the house. I found that this old abandoned house was in fact, some sort of sanity and anchor.
The Madhouse makes me imagine TJ Benson as an ancient weaver — sitting on a hill in vast meadow, overlooking his characters, weaving a story, this beautiful tragedy. Weaving and weaving against a defiant wind. Weaving and weaving the chaos so beautifully and mysteriously, with so much intention. It’s falling apart but he doesn’t stop because there’s something he wants us to see. Mysterious things that I couldn’t explain but because it’s the madhouse, I believed. He blurred the natural and the supernatural, showed how the human mind can transcend and through Shariff’s existence, two very different worlds became one. Most importantly, I found it interesting how deep love and passion existed and unraveled amid all this madness.
The Madhouse is timeless. TJ Benson weaves time into itself then stretches it out and twists in into new strands so that many things make sense at different points — past, present and future — interwoven. And that’s life. A complex fabric. Any portion you cut holds the mysteries of the past, present, future and beyond.
TJ benson will teach you to hold on, because if you don’t, you may just get lost and the last thing you want to do, is to get lost in the madhouse. You never know what could happen. It may be confusing to navigate this story, but if you can overcome this barrier, you may find it interesting.
Read
March 28, 2021Read my feature piece on The Madhouse for the Sunday Times: https://bit.ly/3tYCRjS
~Almost anyone could tell a good story but not every voice you recognise in the abyss of sleep; not every voice can anchor you, steady as running tap water in good times, in the chaos of your life.~
~To plant is a prayer.
An act of faith.~
~Sweet Mother returned to God while their father returned to alcohol.~
~Just then the door burst open and men in green uniforms rushed in with guns and ordered everybody to lie down flat if they didn't want to eat bullets. André lay on the floor like a fallen tree. He didn't want to eat bullets. He didn't know what they would taste like.~
~'Everybody wants to be a doctor!' moaned the father at dinner. 'Why not be something else? Obviously you are talented in music but I know you don't want to have anything to do with your brother. But you can write like me or paint like your mother.'
'I want to be able to take care of my family one day.'~
~During the day his father would fling him up to the blazing sun in the vast blue sky, which had so much room in which to be. At night his father would fling him to the moon. And each time before returning to his father's capable hands he would think that he belonged there, in the air.~
~...the same sun that rises over the dead rises over the living. Do not be shaken by success or loss. Find your centre and watch different seasons go by, learning from each of them. Accept the season at hand and prepare for the next.~
~She sent him to look for a job and he found the nearest war.~
~'Let the dead bury their dead'. Well, he had come to marry his.~
~Almost anyone could tell a good story but not every voice you recognise in the abyss of sleep; not every voice can anchor you, steady as running tap water in good times, in the chaos of your life.~
~To plant is a prayer.
An act of faith.~
~Sweet Mother returned to God while their father returned to alcohol.~
~Just then the door burst open and men in green uniforms rushed in with guns and ordered everybody to lie down flat if they didn't want to eat bullets. André lay on the floor like a fallen tree. He didn't want to eat bullets. He didn't know what they would taste like.~
~'Everybody wants to be a doctor!' moaned the father at dinner. 'Why not be something else? Obviously you are talented in music but I know you don't want to have anything to do with your brother. But you can write like me or paint like your mother.'
'I want to be able to take care of my family one day.'~
~During the day his father would fling him up to the blazing sun in the vast blue sky, which had so much room in which to be. At night his father would fling him to the moon. And each time before returning to his father's capable hands he would think that he belonged there, in the air.~
~...the same sun that rises over the dead rises over the living. Do not be shaken by success or loss. Find your centre and watch different seasons go by, learning from each of them. Accept the season at hand and prepare for the next.~
~She sent him to look for a job and he found the nearest war.~
~'Let the dead bury their dead'. Well, he had come to marry his.~
November 13, 2023
4.5 ⭐️ Characters- most important part of any story to me! I love how deeply and intimately we get to know each individual in the family. My personal fave is Max.. he’s everything a brother should be.
This book is set in Kaduna, also my home. It’s takes us through the lives of these characters at critical times in Kaduna’s history. It’s clearly researched but also feels like a true experience and not just research from books or interviews.
We experience two main relationships- two brothers, and their parents’ beautiful and painful love story. And the other important character in this book is the house. The house holds so much love, pain and beauty.
The timeline (and use of flashback technique) is explosively dynamic. At certain points I wasn’t very sure “when” we were but I think this is a brilliant way of unfolding the story. If you do get lost in it like I did, I just want to say it all makes sense at the end.
The author, @tjbenson_ is clearly brilliant and intelligent to have written such a unique story in a unique style. Give him his flowers! 💐✨
I gave this book 4.5 stars ⭐️. Withholding the .5 star because I needed more of Max & André and wanna fight TJ for not giving me more of them.. their dreams, their love, their life.
This book is set in Kaduna, also my home. It’s takes us through the lives of these characters at critical times in Kaduna’s history. It’s clearly researched but also feels like a true experience and not just research from books or interviews.
We experience two main relationships- two brothers, and their parents’ beautiful and painful love story. And the other important character in this book is the house. The house holds so much love, pain and beauty.
The timeline (and use of flashback technique) is explosively dynamic. At certain points I wasn’t very sure “when” we were but I think this is a brilliant way of unfolding the story. If you do get lost in it like I did, I just want to say it all makes sense at the end.
The author, @tjbenson_ is clearly brilliant and intelligent to have written such a unique story in a unique style. Give him his flowers! 💐✨
I gave this book 4.5 stars ⭐️. Withholding the .5 star because I needed more of Max & André and wanna fight TJ for not giving me more of them.. their dreams, their love, their life.
January 6, 2022
The characters in this book will remain in my memory for a while.
Will update with a link of my review
Will update with a link of my review
April 4, 2021
A bit hard to get into at first, but the payoff is really rewarding at the end.
June 11, 2023
We are not given a linear ‘beginning’ for this story, which is beautiful because it allows the story to unravel in much the same way our lives do: chaotically, but beautifully, and with all the wandering and wondering of life.
A Nigerian family finds itself in a push and pull with war, societal expectation, love, loss, each other, and of course, with madness. They are ostracised in their community, but for better or worse, they have each other. #TheMadhouse follows Sweat Mum/ Sweet Pea, André, Max, Laididi, and Shariff as they tackle various challenges that pull them apart, including the tragedies of war and illness, but the true star of this novel is each character’s POV, not the plot. Benson writes madness into the narrative with the kind of density those who live with it understand: it is inescapably etched into the fabric of each character’s life, even if it is not recognised or named as madness. No character is short-changed, except, perhaps, Laididi, whose POV is given as much space as her short life (which is perhaps appropriate in that it adds to the mystery of her life). Other than her; each character’s POV is detailed in its exploration of the neuroses of society and how it impacts our ability to function as our whole selves. In their attempt to escape madness, each character clings to what they can to make sense of the world.
“They had already learnt prayer by then.
To plant is a prayer.
An act of faith.
They learnt prayer and faith on the small farm behind their house.
Their father believed if they could learn to sow beans and groundnuts and corn in the earth, if they could wait for them to germinate, grow and yield more, then they could learn to sow their hopes and dreams in the future, maybe even believe in God. Then they wouldn’t need God from any institution, Eastern or Western; they would have found God for themselves, in themselves.”
My favourite POVs have to be that of Andre and Sweet Pea, for how they put into perspective that which other characters found puzzling and, to put it crudely, crazy. We’re exposed to their rationale, and offered the idea that there is indeed, as they say, method to their madness. What is reason? What is logic? Who decides what normal is? These are all questions the book pushes us to ask ourselves. Benson’s nuanced pen is very reminiscent of Bessie Head’s “A Question of Power”, which is the only other book which I think has been able to capture what goes on inside a neurodivergent brain so tenderly.
“What difference could he make in the world? What use was his life? At first he would be a footprint that disappeared with rain or sand […] He wasn’t frustrated with life; it was just that he hadn’t asked to be born. He was simply done with it.”
Each POV is so rich that you cannot help but accept that the current character’s version of events are the correct perspective to adopt as the ‘reality’ of the thing.
And in some way, each perspective is ‘unbelievable’.
This book is beautifully written and though it is character-driven, you never once feel as though it staggers in telling the story. Another interesting feature is the QR codes. They are a nice non-textual, alternative way to help you engage with the text — without taking away from the traditional reading experience. It feels more like discovery than distraction.
Read it, #Benson did a thing here!
A Nigerian family finds itself in a push and pull with war, societal expectation, love, loss, each other, and of course, with madness. They are ostracised in their community, but for better or worse, they have each other. #TheMadhouse follows Sweat Mum/ Sweet Pea, André, Max, Laididi, and Shariff as they tackle various challenges that pull them apart, including the tragedies of war and illness, but the true star of this novel is each character’s POV, not the plot. Benson writes madness into the narrative with the kind of density those who live with it understand: it is inescapably etched into the fabric of each character’s life, even if it is not recognised or named as madness. No character is short-changed, except, perhaps, Laididi, whose POV is given as much space as her short life (which is perhaps appropriate in that it adds to the mystery of her life). Other than her; each character’s POV is detailed in its exploration of the neuroses of society and how it impacts our ability to function as our whole selves. In their attempt to escape madness, each character clings to what they can to make sense of the world.
“They had already learnt prayer by then.
To plant is a prayer.
An act of faith.
They learnt prayer and faith on the small farm behind their house.
Their father believed if they could learn to sow beans and groundnuts and corn in the earth, if they could wait for them to germinate, grow and yield more, then they could learn to sow their hopes and dreams in the future, maybe even believe in God. Then they wouldn’t need God from any institution, Eastern or Western; they would have found God for themselves, in themselves.”
My favourite POVs have to be that of Andre and Sweet Pea, for how they put into perspective that which other characters found puzzling and, to put it crudely, crazy. We’re exposed to their rationale, and offered the idea that there is indeed, as they say, method to their madness. What is reason? What is logic? Who decides what normal is? These are all questions the book pushes us to ask ourselves. Benson’s nuanced pen is very reminiscent of Bessie Head’s “A Question of Power”, which is the only other book which I think has been able to capture what goes on inside a neurodivergent brain so tenderly.
“What difference could he make in the world? What use was his life? At first he would be a footprint that disappeared with rain or sand […] He wasn’t frustrated with life; it was just that he hadn’t asked to be born. He was simply done with it.”
Each POV is so rich that you cannot help but accept that the current character’s version of events are the correct perspective to adopt as the ‘reality’ of the thing.
And in some way, each perspective is ‘unbelievable’.
This book is beautifully written and though it is character-driven, you never once feel as though it staggers in telling the story. Another interesting feature is the QR codes. They are a nice non-textual, alternative way to help you engage with the text — without taking away from the traditional reading experience. It feels more like discovery than distraction.
Read it, #Benson did a thing here!
February 16, 2023
I am struggling to understand what this book is, otherwise it’d have been an easy 3 stars. In the beginning, the reader is introduced to what appears to be a crazy family. Later, we find, they are not so crazy. Are we dealing with mentally deranged individuals here?
I find, literature doesn’t have to be that hard to understand. I was lost so many times as I didn’t know whether I was reading magical realism or sci-fi. Also, the non-chronological order in which the story is told doesn’t really help the book much. Towards the ending, the book starts to have some meaning to it but at that point I just couldn’t be bothered with it. I just wanted to finish the book and call it a day.
In conclusion, it was just difficult for me to give grace to Andre and Max. The parents, I had sympathy for especially Shariff. But this entire storyline is just doing my head in.
I find, literature doesn’t have to be that hard to understand. I was lost so many times as I didn’t know whether I was reading magical realism or sci-fi. Also, the non-chronological order in which the story is told doesn’t really help the book much. Towards the ending, the book starts to have some meaning to it but at that point I just couldn’t be bothered with it. I just wanted to finish the book and call it a day.
In conclusion, it was just difficult for me to give grace to Andre and Max. The parents, I had sympathy for especially Shariff. But this entire storyline is just doing my head in.
January 1, 2023
The Madhouse is about an enigmatic family made up of some of the most interesting characters I've met. Each member of the family, from the father, to the mother, and their two spiritually-connected sons has a beautiful, intricate life story.
I drew the book out over MONTHS just because I really, really didn't want it to end. I was in tears and shambles by the end of theb book. An amazing read honestly.
I drew the book out over MONTHS just because I really, really didn't want it to end. I was in tears and shambles by the end of theb book. An amazing read honestly.
June 1, 2022
I was completely impressed by the chaotic outlook the book took.. It is a completely unconventional work of art that will keep you spell bound and enchanted till the end. It took me quite some time to get a hold on it but once I did, I become enmeshed in the story viewing as though I was a character. It is a great read. One, I'll always recommend.
July 28, 2022
A complex, epic, tumbling, uncommon saga about a Nigerian family and the house that witnesses their dramas. The writing is spectacular, the characters alive and flawed, the situations fraught with danger, love, and sensuality. In this novel, time is elastic. People live and die from one paragraph to the next. I really wish it was published in the US. More people need to experience it.
August 24, 2023
Reading this book was like taking a deep breath before diving into the ocean, for you don’t know when you’re gonna come back up for air. It kept me on the edge of my seat, the story isn’t told in a linear manner, yet everything is so beautifully woven in together. Every piece fits perfectly.
Could easily be one of my favorite books in contemporary literature.
Could easily be one of my favorite books in contemporary literature.
July 23, 2021
T. J. Benson's The Madhouse gave me Azaro vibes. Azaro being the main character of Ben Okri's The Famished road. I was transported into that similar mind bending, genre defying reality and it was a delight to watch it all unfurl...
October 20, 2022
This is a masterly offering. The book is inventive and surreal. Everything about it shows that this author knows his craft. If he continues on this part, he is the sort of author that will be in the Nobel conversation in 50 year's time.
November 8, 2022
This was a different and refreshing read. T.J Benson pulled us into the Madhouse unravelling the story from the standpoint of every member till the last member of the house cemented the story in an understanding way. I love love this book.
February 27, 2023
The most enigmatic book I've read in a while. I loved how the story unravels backwards, how the characters keep surprising you until the end. The author keeps you hooked to his strange world, where lots of unexpected things happen and information comes out in dribs and drabs. I felt kidnapped.
March 11, 2023
Very strange, very sad but beautiful in its entirety. Unique characters that went through a lot of suffering. Do not rush the book.
Read
December 30, 2025I don't think I've ever been more confused by a book. Gave up before the end of the first chapter.
December 25, 2025
This was a fantastic read. The problem with my review is where to start and where to end.
But I got my tongue now. It was straight read. Mesmerizing prose, definitely a voice reminiscent of the Bookers Prize winners. This is a strong debut that has motivated me to write.
The characters are beautifully drawn and it i sove that holds the universe these characters live in.
But I got my tongue now. It was straight read. Mesmerizing prose, definitely a voice reminiscent of the Bookers Prize winners. This is a strong debut that has motivated me to write.
The characters are beautifully drawn and it i sove that holds the universe these characters live in.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews